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So, I got a new Laptop for Cristmas, and with it, my mom got me a year of McAfee. After it expires, i'll be getting Hitman Pro. (Right now I use Mbam Premium + McAfee + AdwCleaner + Super Anti-Spyware.) Now, I know a lot of people will yell at me about how McAfee is a resource hog and that I shouldn't use it, and, well, I already know. But, if I have a free year on something, I might as well use it. Whichever answer this question this awnswer has, I will still use McAfee, for the reason stated above. However, I am just curios, is McAfee or Windows Defender better? Soon it will not matter because I will be using Hitman Pro which will enable Defender again but for now I want to know.

Which has a better detection rate? McAfee or Windows Defender?

Again, I dont care about anything exept detection.

So I guess the question is not "Which is better?" but "Which has a higher detection rate?". Anyway, just answer the question.

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There is no universal "one size fits all" solution that works for everyone and there is no single best anti-virus. Every vendor's virus lab and program scanning engine is different. Each has has its own strengths and weaknesses and they often use a mix of technologies to detect and remove malware. In many cases choosing an anti-virus is a matter of personal preference and what works best on a particular system.

There are several reputable labs which test the effectiveness of major anti-virus programs and security suites to include AV-Comparatives.org, Virus Bulletin Comparative Tests, AV-Test.org, NSS Labs Consumer Anti-Malware Products Group Test Report, etc.

These kinds of comparative testing results will vary depending on a variety of factors to include but not limited to who conducted the testing, what they were testing for (type of threats, attack vectors, exploits), what versions of anti-virus software was tested, what type of scanning engine was used, and the ability to clean or repair. There are no universally predefined set of standards or criteria for testing which means each test will yield different results. As such, you need to look for detailed information about how the tests were conducted, the procedures used, and data results.

Some of the testing criteria and standards may even be misleading.

...for some unknown reason...the renowned German test lab AV-TEST has quietly (there was no warning) modified its certification process. The changes mean that the certificates produced by the new rules are, to put it mildly, pretty useless for evaluating the merits of different AV products...With AV-TEST’s new certification standards, the onus is on the user to carefully investigate the actual results of each individual test…they may find that a product that blocked 99.9% of attacks has the same “certification” as a product that only blocked 55%.

Although McAfee is as good as any other well known anti-virus program, IMO, it is better utilized in an Enterprise system environment protecting many client computers.

Although Windows 8/10 Defender provides some anti-malware protection...it is not adequate enough for comprehensive protection. Anti-virus and anti-malware programs each perform different tasks as it relates to computer security and threat detection. Essentially, they look for and remove different types of malicious threats. In simplistic terms, Anti-virus programs generally scan for infectious malware which includes viruses, worms, Trojans, rootkis and bots.

There is no universal "one size fits all" solution that works for everyone and there is no single best anti-virus. Every vendor's virus lab and program scanning engine is different. Each has has its own strengths and weaknesses and they often use a mix of technologies to detect and remove malware. In many cases choosing an anti-virus is a matter of personal preference and what works best on a particular system.

There are several reputable labs which test the effectiveness of major anti-virus programs and security suites to include AV-Comparatives.org, Virus Bulletin Comparative Tests, AV-Test.org, NSS Labs Consumer Anti-Malware Products Group Test Report, etc.

These kinds of comparative testing results will vary depending on a variety of factors to include but not limited to who conducted the testing, what they were testing for (type of threats, attack vectors, exploits), what versions of anti-virus software was tested, what type of scanning engine was used, and the ability to clean or repair. There are no universally predefined set of standards or criteria for testing which means each test will yield different results. As such, you need to look for detailed information about how the tests were conducted, the procedures used, and data results.

Some of the testing criteria and standards may even be misleading.

...for some unknown reason...the renowned German test lab AV-TEST has quietly (there was no warning) modified its certification process. The changes mean that the certificates produced by the new rules are, to put it mildly, pretty useless for evaluating the merits of different AV products...With AV-TEST’s new certification standards, the onus is on the user to carefully investigate the actual results of each individual test…they may find that a product that blocked 99.9% of attacks has the same “certification” as a product that only blocked 55%.

Although McAfee is as good as any other well known anti-virus program, IMO, it is better utilized in an Enterprise system environment protecting many client computers.

Although Windows 8/10 Defender provides some anti-malware protection...it is not adequate enough for comprehensive protection. Anti-virus and anti-malware programs each perform different tasks as it relates to computer security and threat detection. Essentially, they look for and remove different types of malicious threats. In simplistic terms, Anti-virus programs generally scan for infectious malware which includes viruses, worms, Trojans, rootkis and bots.